We propose to continue our program of research training for medical students and residents in the basic sciences related to Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The training faculty includes twelve members of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as selected faculty from other departments whose research intersects with Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Eight of these faculty study auditory neurobiology and perception;three faculty work in mucosal epithelia or oncology. Other training faculty work on hair cell myosins, cancer mechanisms, and cancer epidemiology. Oversight of the training program is provided by an advisory committee consisting of the Department Chair, and three external faculty members in complementary areas. The training program consists of two tracks. The first track is for medical students interested in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and offers either a short-term (summer) or a 1-year research opportunity in any of the laboratories in the Department. The second track is for residents in the Otolaryngology program. One resident in each incoming class will receive 2 contiguous years of research training in the Department's research laboratories, in preparation for careers as academic Otolaryngologists and researchers. All levels of the training program are designed to provide cross-fertilization between trainees in Otolaryngology and basic scientists. Didactic elements of the training, including coursework, training in research ethics, and grantsmanship, are designed to ensure the production of outstanding researchers. The long-term goal is to produce academic clinicians in the field of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery with exceptional research credentials.